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Downton Abbey (programme)
Downton Abbey is a period drama television series set and filmed in Britain and created and principally written by Julian Fellowes. It features an ensemble cast and premièred in the UK on ITV on the 26th September 2010 and in the USA on PBS on the 9th January 2011. It is co-produced by British production company Carnival Films and the American Masterpiece. The executive producers are Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and Rebecca Eaton. The series is set during the post-Edwardian era (after Edward VII's death) and depicts how major historical events such as the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the First World War and the Spanish influenza pandemic affect the fictional estate of Downton Abbey in Yorkshire. Reception of the programme was predominantly positive; ratings were extremely high for what is usually considered a 'genre' show, and the first series picked up a number of awards and nominations after its initial run. It was also nominated for the Audience Award Bafta in 2011 but lost to reality show, The Only Way is Essex. It has subsequently become the most successful British costume drama since the 1981 television serial version of Brideshead Revisited, and in 2011 it entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the 'most critically acclaimed television show' for the year, becoming the first British show to win the award. It has become a worldwide phenomenon sold to 220 territories worldwide, with 120 million viewers. ITV commissions a fourth series of Downton Abbey, ITV Press Centre, 12th December, 2012.Feared Downton lost the plot with that car crash? Lady Mary's grief (and the men chasing her) will have you spellbound again, Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail, 14th August, 2013. On the 3rd November 2011, ITV confirmed that a third series had been commissioned and would air from September 2012. Series three premièred in the UK on the 16th September, 2012, and premièred in the US on the 6th January, 2013. The consolidated ratings averaged 11.9 million viewers for series three which equates to a 40% share of the available audience. This makes Downton Abbey one of the most popular dramas in recent memory. The final episode of series three also achieved over 12 million viewers. Series four premiered in the UK in the autumn of 2013ITV commissions a fourth series of Downton Abbey, ITV Press Center, 12th December, 2012.. Overview The series is set in the fictional Downton Abbey, Yorkshire, country house of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, and follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants early in the reign of George V. The first series spans the two years prior to the Great War, commencing with news of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, an event that sets the story in motion. The second series covers the years 1916 to 1919. Highclere Castle in Hampshire was used for exterior shots of Downton Abbey as well as for some of the interior filming, with the servants' living areas constructed and filmed at Ealing Studios. The village of Bampton in Oxfordshire was used for filming the outdoor scenes, most notably St. Mary's Church and the village library, which serves as the entrance to the cottage hospital. The North Yorkshire towns of Malton, Easingwold, Kirkby, Kirkbymoorside, Middlesbrough, Ripon and Richmond have also been mentioned by characters in the series. The first series cost an estimated £1 million per episode, and is the most successful British period drama since Brideshead Revisited, with British ratings exceeding 10 million viewers. The series was also well received in the United States, averaging over 6 million viewers per episode. Series Overview |-|Season 1= Series 1 The first series started on 26 September 2010, and explored the lives of the Crawley family and their staff from the day after the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912 to the outbreak of the First World War on 4 August 1914. Much of the focus is on the need for a male heir to the Grantham estate, and the troubled love life of Lady Mary as she attempts to find herself a suitable husband. The device that sets the drama in motion is the entail that accompanies the (fictional) Earldom of Grantham, which endows both title and estate exclusively to male heirs. This is complicated by the fact that the estate had been near financial ruin, and was only saved when the present Earl, then the heir apparent, contracted a wealthy marriage with an extremely rich American heiress. Upon marriage, her considerable fortune was contractually incorporated into the comital entail in perpetuity. The Earl, having had only three daughters and no son, had arranged for his elder daughter to marry her cousin, and son to the heir presumptive, thus keeping both title and estate within the immediate family. The demise of both heirs presumptive in the sinking of the Titanic destroys the family plans and brings a distant cousin, a young solicitor from Manchester, in line to inherit everything, including the personal wealth of the Countess, who will not be able to bequeath it to her daughters. |-|Season 2= Series 2 In 2010, Laura Mackie, ITV Director of Drama Commissioning, confirmed that the drama would return for a second series in 2011: :We're delighted with the audience response to Downton Abbey and the positive critical reaction. We're extremely proud to have commissioned a series, which has clearly captivated ITV1 viewers. Consequently, we're thrilled to be announcing the recommission of a new series for 2011 which will allow us to spend more time with the Crawley family and their servants. This series consists of 8 episodes plus a Christmas special spanning the years 1916 - 1920, and follows the lives of the Crawley family and their servants. The second series premiered in the UK on 18 September 2011, and in the U.S. on 8 January 2012. |-|Season 3= Series 3 It was confirmed at the preview of the second series, at Highclere Castle on 29 July 2011, that Julian Fellowes was working on a third series, set after the Armistice and during the 1920s. Actress Amy Nuttall who played Ethel Parks did not return for the third series. ITV confirmed the commissioning of a third series on 3 November 2011. The cast started filming in February 2012, and the series aired in September 2012. Fellowes stated that in series three, there was going to be a storyline about Catholicism. New cast members were announce for series three; actress Shirley MacLaine joined the series playing the role of Cora Crawley's mother, Martha Levinson. Actor Matt Milne has been cast to play the role of Alfred Nugent, Alfred is the nephew of Sarah O'Brien's and the new footman. |-|Season 4= Series 4 This series once again consists of 8 episodes and a Christmas special and spans the years 1922 - 1923. The fourth series premiered in September 2013 in the UK, and January 2014 in the U.S. |-|Season 5= Series 5 The series began airing on ITV in the United Kingdom on 21 September 2014 and on PBS in the United States on 4 January 2015 and is set in 1924. |-|Season 6= Season Six Cast and Characters Main Cast Upstairs *The Rt Hon The Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley. ** Mother of Robert and Rosamund, played by Maggie Smith - (Series 1 - present) *The Rt Hon The Earl of Grantham, Robert Crawley. ** Owner of Downton Abbey, played by Hugh Bonneville. (Series 1 - present) *The Rt Hon The Countess of Grantham, Cora Crawley. ** The American wife of Robert, played by Elizabeth McGovern. - (Series 1 - present) *Lady Mary Crawley. ** Eldest daughter of Robert and Cora, fiancee of Matthew Crawley, played by Michelle Dockery - (Series 1 - present) *Lady Edith Crawley. ** Second daughter of Robert and Cora, played by Laura Carmichael - (Series 1 - present) *Lady Sybil Branson nee Crawley. ** Youngest daughter of Robert and Cora, the wife of Tom Branson, mother of Miss Sybil Branson, played by Jessica Brown-Findlay - (Series 1 - series 3) *Isobel Crawley ** Mother of Matthew, played by Penelope Wilton - (Series 1 - present) *Matthew Crawley. ** Third cousin once removed of Robert; heir presumptive to Downton Abbey, only son of Isobel Crawley, husband of Mary Crawley, played by Dan Stevens - (Series 1 - 2012 Christmas special) *Tom Branson. **Formerly a chauffeur, then journalist, now works as Downton's manager; widower of Sybil, father of Miss Sybil Branson, played by Allen Leech (series 1 - present ) * Lady Rose MacClare ** The youngest daughter of Hugh and Susan MacClare, played by Lily James (Series 3 -present) Downstairs *MrMr Carson. ** The butler, played by Jim Carter - (Series 1 - present) *Mrs Hughes. ** Head housekeeper, played by Phyllis Logan - (Series 1 - present) *John Bates. ** Robert's valet, played by Brendan Coyle - (Series 1 - present) *Miss O'Brien. ** Cora's lady's maid, played by Siobhan Finneran - (Series 1 - Series 3) *Mrs. Patmore. ** Head cook, played by Lesley Nicol - (Series 1 - present) *Thomas Barrow. ** Footman, medic, and convalescent director, played by Rob James-Collier - (Series 1 - present) *Anna Bates. ** Head housemaid, wife of John Bates, played by Joanne Froggatt - (Series 1 - present) *Daisy Mason. ** Wife of William Mason, kitchen maid, later assistant cook, played by Sophie McShera - (Series 1 - present) *William Mason. ** Footman and soldier, husband of Daisy Mason nee Robinson, played by Thomas Howes (Series 1 - Series 2) *Joseph Molesley. ** Matthew's valet and bulter at Crawley House, later a footman at Downton, played by Kevin Doyle - (Series 1 - present) *Ethel Parks. ** Housemaid, played by Amy Nuttall - (Series 2 - Series 3) *Alfred Nugent. ** Footman and nephew of Sarah O'Brien, played by Matt Milne - (Series 3 -present) *Ivy Stuart. ** New kitchen maid, played by Cara Theobold - (Series 3 - present) *Jimmy Kent. ** New footman, played by Ed Speleers - (Series 3 - Series 5) Recurring Upstairs *Lady Rosamund Painswick, née Crawley. ** Sister of Robert Crawley, played by Samantha Bond - (Series 1 - present) *Sir Richard Carlisle. ** Newspaper publisher and ex-fiance of Mary Crawley, played by Iain Glen - (Series 2 and Christmas special) *Miss Lavinia Swire. ** Former fiancée of Matthew Crawley played by Zoe Boyle - (Series 2) *Dr Richard Clarkson. ** Doctor of the village hospital, played by David Robb - (Series 1 - present) *Sir Anthony Strallan. ** Family friend and suitor of Edith Crawley, played by Robert Bathurst - (Series 1 and Christmas special) *Michael Gregson. ** Magazine editor and love interest of Edith Crawley, played by Charles Edwards - (Series 3 - Present) *Evelyn Napier. ** Crawley family friend and suitor of Mary Crawley, played by Brendan Patricks - (Series 1, Series 4) *George Murray. ** Lawyer of the Crawley family, played by Jonathan Coy - (Series 1, Christmas Special 2011 - Series 3) *William Molesley ** Gardener, father of Joseph Molesley, played by Bernard Gallagher - (Series 1, Series 3 - present) *Martha Levinson. ** Widowed mother of Lady Grantham, played by Shirley MacLaine - (Series 3, Christmas Special 2013) Downstairs *Gwen Dawson. ** Housemaid, played by Rose Leslie - (Series 1) *Jane Moorsum. ** Housemaid, played by Clare Calbraith - (Series 2) *Mrs Bird. ** Matthew Crawley and Isobel Crawley's cook, played by Christine Lohr - (Series 1 - present) *Mr Mason. ** Tenant farmer, father of William Mason, father-in-law of Daisy Mason, played by Paul Copley - (Series 2 - present) *Edna Braithwaite. ** Housemaid, later lady's maid, played by MyAnna Buring - (Christmas Special 2012 - Series 3) *Phyllis Baxter ** Lady's maid, played by Raquel Cassidy - (Series - present) Merchandise Books *The World of Downton Abbey *The Chronicles of Downton Abbey: A New Era *Downton Abbey: The Complete Scripts, Season One *Downton Abbey: The Complete Scripts, Season Two *Behind the Scenes at Downton Abbey: The official companion to all four series DVD's and Blu-Ray's *Downton Abbey - Series 1 *Downton Abbey - Series 2 *Christmas at Downton Abbey 2011 *Downton Abbey - Series 3 *Downton Abbey: A Journey to the Highlands (Christmas Special 2012) *Downton Abbey - Series 1&2 (Box Set) *Downton Abbey - Series 1-3 (Box Set) Other *Explore Downton Abbey App *2013 Danilo Calendar *1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle *500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle *2013 Soundtrack *Marks & Spencer beauty productsM&S to launch Downton Abbey beauty collection, Cheshire Today, 5th August, 2013. Media Images Videos File:MASTERPIECE Downton Abbey Season 4 5 Things You Don't Know About Downton Abbey PBS|From PBS circa Series 4 See also * Downton Abbey External links Official websites: * Downton Abbey at ITV.com * Downton Abbey at PBS.org * Masterpiece: Downton Abbey - Special Features at WGBH.org *Downton Abbey on Twitter - Verified Twitter Account *Downton Abbey Facebook *Downton Abbey at Carnival Films Unofficial and Fansites websites: * * Downton Abbey at Wikipedia *Downton Abbey on Coolspotters *Downton Abbey on Fanpop News: *Downton Abbey wins Golden Globe by Press Association Guardian.co.uk, Monday 16 January 2012 02.44 EST *Maggie Smith wins Golden Globe for 'Downton Abbey' role By Sarah Luoma Digital Spy Monday, Jan 14 2013, 1:10am EST References Category:Real World Category:Media